Why Man Utd legends seem destined to fail as managers as under-fire Van Nistelrooy suffers 7th straight league loss
Share:
JUST what is it about Manchester United legends and management?. Ruud van Nistelrooy’s struggle at Leicester is an all-too-familiar story when it comes to players who had stellar careers at Old Trafford but found it a difficult transitioning to the dugout.
![[Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy coaching during a match.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/club-league-logos-live-services-964760251.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Wayne Rooney, Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes are among those who have all tried — and so far failed — to make that jump over the past two decades. None of them are currently in management. Ex-United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this month ended a three-year spell without a job when he became gaffer at Besiktas in Turkey.
![[Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy walking on the field after a match.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/leicester-city-manager-ruud-van-961506680.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
On paper, it really should not be happening. All of these players learnt from one of the most successful managers in the game, Sir Alex Ferguson. But it often does not translate when they look to build their own careers in the game, post-playing days. So what of Van Nistelrooy? He now finds himself heading down the same route, although he desperately wants to buck the trend of former Red Devils stars.
![[Ruud van Nistelrooy, Leicester City manager, at a match.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ruud-van-nistelrooy-manager-leicester-964712245.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
RVN, only in the job for seven weeks, was on the end of criticism from the stands on Saturday — and will take a lot to come back from that. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS. When the Dutchman arrived he was welcomed by fans after Steve Cooper’s spell came to an abrupt end.
![[Steve Bruce, Blackpool manager.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/club-league-logos-live-services-961938993.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
But the chants of “Rooood” have turned into “you don’t know what you’re doing”. The jeers that accompanied the manager’s decision to take off Bilal El Khannouss — a 20-year-old Morocco international — just after the hour were impossible for him to ignore.
![[Bryan Robson in a suit at a soccer match.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/bryan-robson-obe-pre-season-825251502.jpg?strip=all&w=640)
